This Dietary Supplement Combo Could Slow the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

Elizabeth Nelson

By Elizabeth Nelson

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We’re all looking for the miracle cure for aging and age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s, and it’ll probably be a while before we find it. But you may be surprised to hear that something as simple as a dietary supplement could function as a miniature fountain of youth as you work on defying aging.

Researchers at the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and Cambridge University working on an 18-month study of 25 individuals and 15 controls believe they’ve found a combination of dietary supplements that can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. They studied people who took macular carotenoid supplements and people who took these supplements plus fish oil.

They found that the combination of macular carotenoids and fish oil offered the best protection from Alzheimer’s disease. These vitamins had a positive impact on the brain and the subjects’ overall quality of life. Patients appeared to benefit in terms of memory, sight, and mood.

“This represents one of the most important medical advancements of the century,” says Dr. Alan Howard, founder and chair of the Howard Foundation. “Alzheimer’s disease is the largest public health crisis we face, and drug companies have so far fallen at every hurdle in finding a solution. This study gives us that breakthrough, in a unique natural compound of nutrients.”

A larger-scale study (120 people with Alzheimer’s) is now taking place to determine whether the results of this small study hold true.

Plenty of people take fish oil, and many take macular carotenoids as well, but how many take both? After this study, we bet a lot more people will.

You can get these vitamins from more than just supplements if you’re willing to work at it, but researchers say it may be more work than it’s worth. Trout, broccoli, and peppers, among other foods, carry high quantities of the elements you’re going to need to stave off Alzheimer’s for as long as possible. However, the declining amount of nutrients in our food, coupled with the high amount of these nutrients needed to protect the brain from Alzheimer’s, means getting the necessary vitamins from food alone could be tricky.

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Elizabeth Nelson is a wordsmith, an alumna of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, a four-leaf-clover finder, and a grammar connoisseur. She has lived in west Michigan since age four but loves to travel to new (and old) places. In her free time, she. . . wait, what’s free time?